Catwoman

Context

Just Imagine Stan Lee Creating XXX was a series of one-shot DC Comics books in 2001. All were written by Stan “the Man” Lee , with artwork from fan-favourite artists.

The angle was to show what would have happened if Stan Lee had created a super-hero universe with characters named “Superman”, “Batman”, “Wonder Woman”, etc. These characters resemble the DC ones, but clearly have a different style.

These are useful to populate home-designed role-playing game worlds, if you need archetypes with a twist.

Background

Real Name: Joanie Jordan.

Marital Status: Single.

Known Relatives: Inspector Jordan (father).

Group Affiliation: JLA.

Base Of Operations: A studio over Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles.

Height: 5’9” Weight: 119 lbs.

Eyes: Green Hair: Blonde (as Joanie) Black wig (as Catwoman).

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Powers and Abilities

Catwoman has catlike powers. She sees in the dark, and she can turn her fingers into huge claws. These can easily punch through a reinforced door, cleave through a handgun or inflict nasty gashes to solid steel walls.

Catwoman is superhumanly supple, barely tires from physical effort, can jump across an entire street, and always lands on her feet. She is amazingly fast and mobile, and moves in almost complete silence. For most people, Catwoman is just an indistinct black flash.

Jordan has a telepathic bond with her she-cat Ebony. Ebony is just an ordinary house cat, though. Thus, their ability to communicate is limited to what a house cat can convey by meowing (“come quick”, “prey here”, “I want to eat”, etc.)

History

Wisenheimer model Joanie Jordan was scheduled for a photoshoot within a major bank. This potential security breach attracted the attention of a group of criminals working for the Flesh Crawler. Their plan was to kidnap Jordan in her home, force her to pass them for authorised persons at the shoot, then kill everyone inside and rob the bank.

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Overhearing the “kill everyone” part of the plan, Jordan tried to fight off the careless gangsters in her apartment. She got very lucky – right as she did, a lightning strike cut electricity and killed the lights.

Jordan then benefited from something else entirely. As she reached the window under cover of darkness, a green lightning ball crashed onto her and her pet cat. The strange energy instantly gave her cat-like superpowers, with which she killed the armed murderers in her flat.

Nigh-simultaneously, other people throughout the world were empowered through other manifestations of green energy. In some cases, animals were also involved as with Jordan. Examples include the Flash’s abilities being catalysed by hummingbird DNA, and Aquaman’s ones by dolphin DNA.

What’s new pussycat ?

Joanie was absolutely thrilled by her new-found abilities. She quickly created a costume and an identity for herself. As Catwoman, she gambolled over rooftops at night for fun, and found herself intervening to save lives because it felt good. In particular, she starred in the rescue of several persons during a major fire.

She also kept clashing with the Flesh Crawler and his men. That lasted until she killed or defeated them all – and left the Flesh Crawler for the police to arrest.

Jordan hoped to share her secret with her father, a retired police detective who had always wished that his daughter had been a policewoman rather than a model. As it turned out the older man was quite hostile toward the free-spirited, violent rooftop vigilante, and Joanie decided to keep her secret.

During the clash with Crisis, Catwoman unofficially joined the JLA.

Description

See illustrations.

Personality

Joanie is a wiseass. She is too smart for her job, bored, snarky and catty. On the other hand she loves being Catwoman, and thinks her powers and the rush she gets from using them are awesome.

Catwoman will happily demonstrate her incredible speed and agility whenever possible. She’ll run rings around her opponents and bounce left and right faster than the untrained eye can follow. She is a showwoman, and likes making cool entrances and exits, striking poses, being all mysterious, showing off her prowess, coming up with one-liners and the like.

Catwoman mostly adventures for kicks, but she’s not a bad person. Though she’s self-centered and spoiled, she loves the glow of rescuing people and being acclaimed for saving lives and stomping crime. Joanie also feels good knowing that she is, in her way, continuing the work of her retired father. She also thinks that his rants about Catwoman being a menace are pretty funny.

Jordan has no moral inhibition against killing – and her huge, really sharp claws make killing fairly easy. Catwoman does not endeavour to kill anybody, but does not make any special effort to prevent garden-variety thugs from being killed by her Claws, either. In her opinion, they were asking for it anyway.

A highly independent person with a high opinion of herself, she does not like being told what do do. At all. Now that she knows that she can kick seven shades of butt without breaking a sweat, this trait is even more pronounced. Even as Joanie she will give lip to people holding her at gunpoint, or use her beauty and fame to have policemen on duty look the other way.

Her paranormal bond with her beloved pet she-cat is strong. She considers Ebony as a sister.

Quotes

“I don’t know why I ever became a model. Sure, the pay is great, but it’s all so phony.”

“[Dad] will be so thrilled when he sees what I’m now able to do ! I might even get *more famous* !”

“No wonder you cats are always so quiet and contented, Ebony. With powers like these, there’s no need to show off. You know you’ve got it made. And so do I !”

Thug, pointing a .45 at her: “Get in the van ! Move it ! We ain’t got all day !”
Joanie, thoroughly unimpressed: “Okay, okay. But I hope you’re aware we haven’t been properly introduced.”

Life sense is her “cat instinct”, and only allows her to sense the presence of people she already is familiar with and are important to her. It is passive – she’ll automatically know where a person important to her is if they’re in range of her Power.